I was pretty excited to discover an Orla Kiely iPhone app has just been launched, it looks great on my iPad too. I’m a huge fan of her designs but haven’t bought anything new for ages due to a severe lack of money. Anyway, the app is free which means I can keep up to date with her latest collections from the comfort of my own home. Just in case you haven’t heard of her before, Orla Kiely is an Irish fashion designer based in London. From a small collection of handbags and accessories, Orla Kiely has become a true…
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I don’t know about you but my fridge is covered with magnets – often holding up the latest letter from school or shopping list. There’s always room for more so I was happy to review some personalised photo fridge magnets from PicStick. The site is easy to use, you can upload 9 images from your computer, Facebook or even Dropbox. They come in a grid of 9 photos which you can easily tear apart. For some reason I received two sets of my chosen photos but fortunately my sister was here when they arrived so I was able to share…
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Due to the Summer holidays I’ve been blogging a lot less than normal (for me). I love spending time with my children and have really enjoyed picking up some sewing in the evenings rather than my laptop. My latest project is Wild Olive’s Autumn Stitching Club project. This was quite simple compared to the Spring Stitching Club quilt I recently finished. There were only 13 hexagons to make but they were all really enjoyable to stitch. I love the Pumpkin Spice Latte, Caramel Apple and this pretty hexies of potted mums. I used a Moda Posh Pumpkins charm pack for…
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GoldieBlox, the award-winning toy range from the US, has landed in the UK! Created by engineer and entrepreneur Debbie Sterling, GoldieBlox aims to introduce engineering concepts to girls at an early age, providing them with more options and spawning a movement to disrupt pink toy aisles everywhere. I love this idea so was delighted to be sent a few sets to review with my children. Each of the three sets (Goldie Blox and the Spinning Machine, Goldie Blox and the Dunk Tank and Goldie Blox and the Parade Float) features an interactive toy, containing a book series and construction set,…
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This week I was invited to a really fun crafting event with former Great British Sewing Bee finalist Tamara Melvin. She has been working with DryNites to create a series of craft projects to bring some grown-up touches to kids’ bedrooms. She is aiming to help parents through the bedwetting stage of their child’s development by highlighting the importance of age-appropriate influences at night time. Created on behalf of DryNites, and with support from child psychologist Emma Kenny, Tamara wants to provide a fun way to normalise this phase, which affects almost 600,000 children every year. We met at Tea…
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The Summer holidays are rattling by and it’s time for Week 4 of our Summer holiday round up. Last week Big Brother and I ventured into London to walk the Riverside Book Bench trail. We spent a lovely morning finding the decorated sculptures, painted to celebrate London’s literary heritage and reading for enjoyment. You can find pictures of all the benches we found on my other blog. We enjoyed a family day out at Odds Park Farm as well as another trip to London for the launch of a new augmented reality game at the British Museum. Big Brother and…
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A couple of weeks ago I was at the V&A and found a great template for making envelopes. I’ve collected a few vintage annuals and magazines and thought this would be a lovely way to give them a new lease of life. The template couldn’t be easier to use. I found some pages from an old Rupert the Bear annual, drew around the template and cut out the shapes. I followed the instructions on the template and folded the paper into an envelope. You need to be quite precise with your folding otherwise you’re left with a small gap. However,…
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This time of year (distinctly Autumnal!) makes me think of the Knitting and Stitching Show at Ally Pally. I’ve been every year since 2007 and I started blogging about my purchases from the Show. As there are just so many lovely to things to buy I have to be strict with myself so I blog my purchases and what I make to justify my purchases. In 2010 I bought a Clothkits doll cushion, Advent calendar printed panel, gingerbread man cross stitch and Union flag quilt pattern. I made everything except the Union flag quilt as I couldn’t find the jelly…
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I love joining in with Wild Olive’s seasonal stitching clubs. I like to share my progress too but it seems that I often forget! Last summer I took part in Wild Olive’s Summer Stitching Club. You get sent a pattern each week and it builds into a cute little doll quilt or cushion cover using English Paper Piecing and hexagons – my two favourite things. This was the first I took part in and to be honest I found it hard to set aside the time but had a big push and made the bulk of it over one weekend.…